A tragic multivehicle collision on Saturday night in North St. Louis has resulted in the death of a Florissant woman and left an infant fighting for life. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department reported that the accident occurred shortly after 10 p.m. at the intersection of North Broadway and Calvary Avenue, as per FOX 2 Now and corroborated by additional outlets. A Mazda 6, driven by a 23-year-old man, was said to have been speeding and crossed into the northbound traffic, resulting in the collision with a Jeep Wrangler and an impact on a Chevrolet Malibu.
The force of the crash caused the Jeep to violently flip, tragically claiming the life of its 31-year-old driver, identified by friends as Candice Cherell Swearengen, and critically injuring a 5-month-old child. Swearengen, remembered by peers as a skilled makeup artist at B’Luxury Barber & Beauty in Jennings, was set to be honored by friends and colleagues with a balloon release. "She was just a beautiful person inside and out. She was awesome with what she did. Her hands were definitely gifted as far as painting faces, she had those ladies looking as beautiful as herself," a friend recounted in an interview obtained by KSDK.
Other victims included three juveniles and the driver of the Malibu, who were all transported to a hospital with stable conditions, though it's not clear which vehicle they were occupying at the time of the crash. The incident left the North Riverfront neighborhood community in shock, grieving the loss amidst the sudden and violent upheaval. The driver of the Mazda 6, meanwhile, was picked up by an unknown person and later taken to a local hospital, listed in stable condition. This complex situation has led the police’s Accident Reconstruction Team to conduct a thorough investigation in hopes to unravel the events of that fateful night, as noted by First Alert 4.
As St. Louis grapples with this tragedy, no charges had been filed as of yesterday. Police are urging witnesses or anyone with information to come forward as loved ones mourn and seek answers.
